Kaidan Alenko

"We finally get out here and the 'final frontier' was already settled. And the residents don't even seem impressed by the view. Or the dangers."

Kaidan Alenko is an human Sentinel and a squad mate of Commander Shepard aboard the SSV Normandy. He's a Biotic who spent most of his alliance career in the Navy and swiftly rose to the rank of Lieutenant before being transferred to work on the Normandy under Captain Anderson. Kaidan is the only squad mate in the game who is with Commander Shepard from the start. If you create Commander Shepard as a female, Kaidan can be involved in a possible relationship storyline.

Kaiden is a Biotic which means he has the ability to control dark energy. When he was young, Kaiden was exposed to a substance known as Element Zero which is what a star ship's drive core needs to enable faster-than-light space travel. If an engine is destroyed it releases a dust-form of Element Zero into the air. Kaidan was exposed after a crash in Singapore. Element Zero gave him the ability to lift and throw objects with his mind, he could also create barrier shields to protect himself.

Most modern-day Biotics in the Systems Aliance are given an L3 implant which is safe to use but limits your power. Kaidan still has an old L2 implant which is much more powerful but can have dangerous side-effects. Luckily, Kaiden has only ever suffered from an occasional migraine, which he mentions several times during the game.

Kaiden seems troubled, and harbours some deep seated resentment of treatment of Biotics during his time being trained. He often talks about moving onwards and not worrying about the past, but his descriptions of his past contain traces of bitterness.